Packers

Majkowski's magic lifts 1989 Packers It became known as the magic season, and 10th-round draft pick Don Majkowski (Virginia, 1987) became known as Magic Man as he tossed the Packers to a 10-6 record and a tie for first place in the NFC Central in 1989. Majkowski rose from virtually nowhere to lead the club to two one-point wins, one two-point win and one overtime win, throwing 27 touchdown passes and making what seemed like impossible plays in the fourth quarter. Despite having the same record as Minnesota, the Packers did not make the playoffs.

There wasn't really much that Benjamin attacker Andrew Packer needed to say. His face and body said it all. Packer just took a beating. The Benjamin sophomore, as he's done all year, was a pest in front of net. He scored a hat trick in his team's 14-9 win over St. Thomas Aquinas on Friday in the state semifinals at IMG Academy. The Maryland commit's performance sends Benjamin into its first-ever state title game. It will face two-time defending champions Orlando Lake Highland Prep.

Re the baseball stadium: I understand the population of Broward, Miami Dade and Palm Beach counties is about 4 million. If 4 million would contribute $10, the stadium cost could be achieved. The people of Green Bay, Wisc., saved the franchise of the Packers by simply buying the team. Why can't we do the same? JOHN SAVAGE Fort Lauderdale

The Miami Dolphins began filling out the team's 90-player training camp roster this week, and one of the moves made was the Thursday signing of former Vanderbilt quarterback Jordan Rodgers. The signing has been confirmed by the team, but Rodgers, who is the brother of Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, tweeted that he became a member of the Dolphins on Wednesday night. "So excited God has blessed me with another opportunity," Rodgers wrote on his twitter account, using the hashtag #Roadlesstraveled.

-- RUN OFFENSE: The Dolphins caught the Packers in a vulnerable position and made it work. After Green Bay put an extra defensive back in the game, the Dolphins countered with rookie Irving Spikes, who had 70 yards on 13 carries. Terry Kirby still has some problems accelerating out of the backfield, but contributed 64 yards on 17 carries. Keith Byars also had a couple of nice runs. -- PASS OFFENSE: The numbers aren't the same as the first week, but Dan Marino was just as effective, particularly in third-and-7 or more (the Dolphins converted four of six situations when Marino threw the ball)

The Green Bay Packers need a wide receiver with the potential to start. Florida State's Javon Walker, whose stock had a meteoric rise after the regular season, gives it to them. Walker, projected as a second-round choice, was chosen No. 20, one of three wide receivers taken in the first round of the NFL Draft. Strong safety Chris Hope was the other Seminole picked on Saturday. He was chosen by Pittsburgh in the third round with the 94th pick. "I thought that I was going to Atlanta [at No. 18]

The St. Louis Rams weren't going to ease into this thing with Brett Favre. They came with a blitz off the left side on the opening play Monday night and Favre, who has instincts not even he knows about, rolled right, away from the pressure, and zipped a 3-yarder to receiver Robert Ferguson. Second quarter: That wasn't a pocket in front of Favre as he waited for Donald Driver to come open. It was a cocoon. Twelve yards to the Rams 28. Third quarter: There was Favre again. Waiting, waiting, waiting behind the great Packers wall.

Green Bay fans are coming up with plenty of ways for the city to mark the dubious homecoming of Packers here turned Vikings villain Brett Favre. Since posting a link on the city's Web site soliciting ideas to "tastefully" welcome Favre back for Sunday's game at Lambeau Field, the office of Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt has received about 1,600 e-mails, according to communications director Andre Jacque. Among the fans' suggestions was holding a ceremony to retire the Packers' No. 4 jersey in honor of former Packers quarterback Chuck Fusina, who threw 32 passes in seven games for Green Bay in 1986 - or scheduling a ceremony to retire No. 4 for Favre and calling it off at the last minute.

Fullback William Henderson is rarely Green Bay's most-effective weapon, but he turned into a gamebreaker Sunday when he finished with a career-high seven catches for 60 yards in the Packers' 23-18 victory over the Dolphins. "We did a pretty good job against everybody else, so he became the natural target for [quarterback Brett) Favre," Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas said. "They send everybody out so much of the time that somebody is going to hurt you." Henderson, whose career high was five catches last season against Kansas City, helped put the game away with 6:55 remaining in the fourth quarter when he scored on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Favre.

MIAMI -- The Dolphins announced a shocker Friday morning, introducing veteran NFL executive Tom Braatz as their director of college scouting. Braatz, 59, replaces Tom Heckert, who was named the Dolphins` director of player personnel last week. Accepting the college scouting job is a significant step down the executive ladder for Braatz, but Braatz said Friday he was still enthused about joining the Dolphins. "Scouting is my background," Braatz said at the Dolphins` St. Thomas University training camp, "and I`ve always basically been a road man and a scout."

The Dolphins lost Anthony Fasano to Kansas City (four years, $16 million). Even if they'd brought back Fasano, the Dolphins were looking for a tight end. Now is Jeff Ireland in the market for two? Here are five possible options for them to land a tight end with some impact: 1. Dustin Keller. He met with the Dolphins on Wednesday. He's the best available free-agent as of now - though that may change, as you read on. Chicago hopped on Martellus Bennett (four years, $20 million - $9.85M guaranteed)

I've written there's no Plan B at wide receiver if the Dolphins don't sign either Pittsburgh's Mike Wallace or Green Bay's Greg Jennings in free agency. But let's try to devise one. If the Dolphins can't get a play-making No. 1 wide receiver -- either Wallace or Jennings (or now, maybe Baltimore's Anquan Boldin) - perhaps the best plan is to build a receiving corps that has maybe four guys who each accumulate at least 50 receptions and 600 yards. Yeah, I know, good luck on that.

Impending free-agent receiver Greg Jennings openly flirted with the Dolphins, along with the league's 31 other teams, during a conversation with the NFL Network on Wednesday. "It's a business. So it's pretty much whatever would be the right fit for myself, as well as my family, as far as living accommodations. That's where we're going to end up," said Jennings, who turns 30 in September. "All other 31 teams are an option when it comes to being able to have an occupation and play the game I love to play.

Parity has now gone beyond the NFL's regular season and reached the Super Bowl champions. For the third consecutive year the Super Bowl winner didn't fare better than 10-6 during the regular season, meaning it won fewer than 70 percent of its games. The Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens finished 10-6 (.625) during the regular season. The New York Giants, who won Super Bowl 46, were 9-7 (.563). Green Bay, the Super Bowl 45 champion, was also 10-6. Clearly it's a new day, one in which you don't necessarily have to win 12 or more regular-season games (.750)